In the last eight years, Venezuela's largest shrimp farmer has grown its production by more than 900 percent, thanks in part to what its commercial director calls "the perfect meteorological conditions" and a model of integration rarely seen in other parts of the world.

It is a reflection of a general trend in Venezuelan shrimp production, which is dominated by three main players, and has seen harvests swell by 63 percent over the last three years, leading Rabobank to name it "the most interesting newcomer" among the region's top five producers in its annual global shrimp aquaculture production survey and forecast released at the end of last year.